Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1887-06-24
The Profit of Truck Farming.

The Norfolk correspondence of the Bal
timore Sun of the Goth instant contained
the following paragraph:
The trucking season is closing up a
round Norfolk, and has been one of the
most successful for all the vegetables raised
the truckers of this section ever exper-
fenced. Prices have been fair for nearly
ness have done well. Mr. Thomas r. Bal
lantlne, on the "Entrenchmsnt Camp
farm of 265 acres, near this city, raised this
season 5,5sS barrels of spinach, 6,S05 bar
rels of kale, 6.344 barrels Of cabbage and
231 crates of straw berries. His profit clear
Of everything, was 1874 400. He has his
potato crop yet to market, which will
doubtless yield him $4,000.
This statement affords strong illustra-
ton of the profit which may be realized
from the growth of vegetables in this Sec
ton of the South. The we'll known &C.
curacy OF the Suns correspondence is q
strong voucher for the truth of the state
ment; and the figures shown above cannot
fail to attract the attention of all thrifty
husbsndmen in this section of country
and set item to thinking
No one will hardly suppose that the re-
markable success reported above is an
every day experience among truck farm
ers. On the other hand it will be assum-
ed that this is a very rare accomplishment.
1t was only attained, doubtless, by rare
ombination of circumstances, such as are
not coincident more than once in a life
time. The advantage of the particular
locality, the popularity of the season, the
condition of the market and the thrift,
industry and sound judgment of the pro-
Queer, were all elements in this successful
enterprise. The same man may never
again score such wonderful success and
probably will not.
Still this case and other less striking
instances, which have been heretofore re-
ported, show the possibilities of the truck
industry. They demonstrate beyond a
doubt that any man of moderate thrift
and judgment, owning land adapted to
the production OF vegetables and within
practical and cheap access of the same
markets that the Norfolk trucker supplies
may have q fair remuneration for his labor
and capital by devoting himself to this
industry.
Our people here in Southern Maryland
are SO situated. Our lands are we'll g.
adapted to the production of all the vege-
tables enumerated in the above quoted
paragraph and all of our people living
convenient to the Potomac or its tribu-
tarles, or along the railroad, have cheap
and easy access to the principle markets
that the Norfolk truckers depend on for
the sale of their products. When it is
remembered that large proportion Of the
products referred to, from which so large
profit was realized, were carried up the
Potomac on the Norfolk steamers and dis,
posed of in Washington, or up the Chesa-
peake and sold in Baltimore, the advsn-
tages of our locality are made apparent
In these times, when the production OF
cereals is overdone by the enormous grain
fields in the West, operated by extensive
capital aided by improved machinery. and
when gambling capitalists work upon this
over production so as to bring about q
continued instability of the market, the
Maryland producer finds little profit in
grain growing. Nor is there now any
remuneration in the growth of tobacco
1t is time, therefore, that our small farm
ers in Southern Maryland should turn
their minds to the growth of such produc-
tons as the West cannot compete with
them in. And they should lose no time
in doing it. We are aware that this is
BOT the first time the TINES has advanced
this idea, but we shall make NO apology
for continuing to do so whenever occasion
serves.